I opened this thread to pass a message to folks on this section - and on NL in general - that have taken tribal wars to olympian heights.
The spate at which we disrespect and insult Nigeria's past heroes, especially the pre-independence nationalists and the First republic political leaders is very worrisome.
The leaders I'm talking about here are Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sirs Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, and Aare Samuel Ladoke Akintola.
Some of our Igbo friends have not stopped at anything to hurl insults at Chief Obafemi Awolowo for, rightly or wrongly, being anti-Igbo.
Our Yoruba and Igbo friends have also not stopped at anything to give it back to them. And these two display unity to castigate Ahmadu Bello and TB.
Zik, ironically, is getting his own pound from his Ibo children, for no other offence that he did not play sectional politics. Some of them called him stooge of the Ahmadu Bellos and TBs of the North.

But guys, have we ever considered that the regional, decentralized system of their era essentially called for sectional interest, or tribalism, if that's what you want to call it?

I acknowledge the fact that everybody is free to discuss anything he likes here, but why have we concentrated on the short-comings of these men, and discount almost to zero their incomparable contributions to this nation, mother of all being the struggle for and achievement of independence.

Why is it that anytime their names are mentioned, insults begin to fly around?
Why have we forgotten the enduring legacies of Awo/Akintola: free education, University of Ife, Cocoa House, first TV station etc?
Why have we forgotten Zik's irrepressible media war, through his newspaper, in the struggle to extricate this country from the clutches of colonialists?
Why have we forgotten the TB/AB's austere lifestyle and lessons in selfless governance? Ahmadu Bello it was who went from primary school to primary school in the northern region, advising the pupils to join military. Like a prophet, the man's vision for hsi people paid off, as those children later became Generals and some became Heads of state, setting the background for northern domination in military decades later.

Surely, even with the tribal thing, these guys were far more useful, not only to their people, but to the Nation at large, than the so-called detribalized leaders of today.
I'm not sure these leaders will be proud of those of us that have taken as business insulting their comtemporaries from other tribes in the name of defending them.

After all, we see their pictures standing side by side in the interest of this country. Why do we, their supporters, then fight over them?
These leaders don't deserve this from us.

This is food for thought, guys.